Title: Losing Your Memory
Author: Athar 'Gemini' Riordan
Series: Children of the Marauders
Time Frame: 1981 (Pre-Hogwarts)
Summary: In the October of 1981, a group of friends - an extended family of sorts- is seemingly ripped apart. The question is: Will it be forever? Two-part story.
Disclaimer: Godric's Hollow passage is taken from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (p.p. 280-282). No Infringement is intended through it's use.
Author's Note (1): Here is my slight take on the events of 1981, with my series' AU Twist. First part features Remus and mentions to Dumbledore. Sirius will be in Part two which will be posted tomorrow.
Part one: "They're Gone..."
The night was wet and windy, to children dressed as pumpkins waddling across the square, and the shop windows covered in paper spiders, all the tawdry muggle trappings of a world in which they did not believe... and he was gliding along, that sense of purpose, power and rightness in him that he always knew on these occasions... not anger... that was for weaker souls than he... but triumph, yes... he had waited for this, he had hoped for it...
"Nice costume, Mister!"
He saw the small boy's smile falter as he ran near enough to see beneath the hood of the cloak, saw the fear cloud his painted face: then the child turned and ran away... beneath the robe he fingered the handle of his wand... one simple movement and the child would never reach his mother... but unnecessary, quite unnecessary...
And along a new and darker street he moved, and now his destination was in sight at last, the Fidelius Charm broken, though they did not know it yet... and he made less noise than the dead leaves slithering along the pavement as he drew level with the dark hedge, and stared over it...
They had not drawn the curtains, he saw them quite clearly in their little sitting room, the tall, black-haired man in his glasses, making puffs of coloured smoke erupt from his wand for the amusement of the small black-haired boy in his blue pyjamas. The child was laughing and trying to catch the smoke, to grab it in his small fist...
A door opened and the mother entered, saying words he could not hear, her long, dark red hair falling over her face. Now the father scooped up the son and handed him to the mother. He threw his wand down upon the sofa and stretched, yawning...
The gate creaked alittle as he pushed it open, but James Potter did not hear. His white hand pulled out the wand beneath his cloak and pointed it at the door, which burst open.
He was over the threshold as James came sprinting into the hall. It was easy, too easy, he had not even picked up his wand...
'Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-'
Hold him off, without a wand in his hand! ... he laughed before casting the curse...
'Avada Kedavra!'
The green light filled the cramped hallway, it lit the pram pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glare like lightning rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut...
He could hear her screaming, from the upper floor, trapped, but as long as she was sensible she, at least, had nothing to fear... he climbed the steps, listening with faint amusements to her attempts to barricade herself in... she had no wand upon her either... how stupid they were, and how trusting, thinking that their safety lay in friends, that weapons could be discarded even for moments...
He forced the door open, cast aside the chair and boxes hastily piled against it with a lazy wave of his wand... and there she stood, the child in her arms. At the sight of him, she dropped her son into the cot behind her and threw her arms wide, as if this would help, as if shielding him from sight she hoped to be chosen instead...
'Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!'
'Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now...'
'Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-'
'This is my last warning-'
'Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please - I'll do anything –'
'Stand aside – stand aside, girl – '
He could have forced her away from the cot, but it seemed more prudent to finish them all...
The green light flashed around the room and she dropped like her husband. The child had not cried all this time: he could stand, clutching the bars of his cot, and he looked up into the intruders face with a kind of bright interest, perhaps thinking that it was his father who hid beneath the cloak, making more pretty lights, and his mother would pop up any moment, laughing –
He pointed the wand very carefully into the boy's face: he wanted to see it happen, the destruction of this one, inexplicable danger. The child began to cry: it had seen he was not James. He did not like it crying, he had never been able to stomach the small ones' whining in the orphanage –
'Avada Kedavra!'
And then he broke: he was nothing, nothing but pain and terror, and he must hide himself, not here in the rubble of the ruined house, where the child was trapped and screaming, but far away... far away...
"I am truly sorry, Remus.. Shannon... They're gone..."
The papers flew everywhere as Remus Lupin let out an unearthly howl before he landed in a nearby chair and curled in on himself as the tears began to fall. They were gone. His friends... His Brothers... His Pack... All gone. James was dead, as was Peter whilst Sirius...Well, Sirius wouldn't be in the picture anymore as he had been sent to Azkaban without trial.
With his hands gripping his hair while sobs tore through him, the werewolf - and last member of the Marauders- felt his heart break; not only for the friends he now mourned the loss of, but also for the baby James and Lily had left behind.
By some miracle, Harry James Potter had survived the killing curse of one of the wizarding world's darkest foes- Lord Voldemort- receiving only a scar, which Dumbledore had said he undoubtedly carry for the rest of his life. Where Harry was now, Remus didn't know. He and Shannon had asked the headmaster to take Harry in themselves, so that he could grow up with his god-sister, Kara, and what was left of his marauder family, but Dumbledore had said that it was not possible - that Harry was now safe, and was protected with the strongest of magics; even if this brought Shannon and Remus no comfort.
Remus had been underground with the werewolves when news filtered through of the Potter's death and Voldemort's downfall, and so he was unaware of what had truly occurred between his three friends in the days leading up to that dark Halloween night. He had then come straight to Shannon's home upon hearing bits and pieces, to find out that the news he had been hearing was true - and that two of his best friends were now dead. But news of the Potter's death would not be all the news the pair would receive. Later that day - the aged headmaster would return, wearier than Remus had ever seen him, to break the news that Sirius Black was on the way to Azkaban after not only murdering 12 Muggles in broad daylight, but also because he had killed Peter Pettigrew, and had sold the Potter's to Voldemort. Shannon had refused to believe it, and Remus had been too in shock to speak.
But now, as light turned to darkness, the full weight of what had occurred over the past few days hit the werewolf like a steam train. Every emotion the numbness had blocked every tear, every cry, was now bubbling up to the service and - with a werewolf's emotions being more heightened than others- were now overcoming the young wizard.
In a bedroom on the floor below the attic - which had become Remus' space over the past couple of years when he came to stay- Shannon Riordan turned her tear stained eyes toward the ceiling upon hearing her friend (brother's) pain filled cry.
After Dumbledore had left, Shannon and Remus had sat in silence on the living room sofa for some time as the news of both death and imprisonment hung in the air. The pair could hardly believe that their family was all but gone - and that the fate of the only other member of their family, Harry, was left unknown, because of an aging headmaster's best intentions. It was during this time of contemplation that Sirius and Shannon's two-and-a-half year old daughter, Kara had awoken in a fit of tears. Shannon had brought the little girl downstairs with her and had set the little girl between herself and Remus, who had latched onto his goddaughter immediately. Kara would probably be the closest thing Remus would come to having a child, and so the closeness between the wizard and little girl was understandable - just as his relationship with a black haired, green eyed baby boy had been. But now, everything had changed,
Looking down at Kara, whose glazed blue eyes were staring at the ceiling with arms stretching up toward the sound of her Godfather's cries, Shannon frowned at the look of discomfort on the toddler's face. It had been there all day, and despite constant reassurances from both adults- it had yet to go.
" 'emus,"
"It's alright, Kara," Shannon cooed. "It's time to go to sleep now, sweetheart."
"Mama Havy, mama," Little Kara babbled, as her eyes scrunched slightly in frustration.
"Ssh, Kara. It's okay," Shannon whispered, as she brushed a small strand of brown from the girl's face before placing a forefinger in the middle of Kara's forehead and muttering a few words under her breath to send a wave of gentle magick into Kara, whose eyes drifted close as the minor spell took effect. Even though, it was only a small inkling on her part regarding her daughter's abilities beginning to manifest themselves, Shannon didn't want Kara to be affected by the tumultuous emotions of herself and Remus.
Closing the door softly behind her, Shannon made her way up to the Attic, where she found Remus still curled in a small hard backed chair, sobbing; his knees were drawn up to his chest, and his arms encircled them with hands gripping the jumper's sleeves tightly.
"Remus," The young woman said with worry in her voice, as she came over to the wizard and attentively placed a hand on his shaking shoulder.
"They're gone. James... and Lily..." His voice sounded so broken, Shannon could almost see his heart breaking apart.
Silently, the young blood witch moved her hand from the wizards shaking shoulder to envelope him in a strong embrace. He had become like a brother to her- acting more like a brother than her biological sibling- and to see him like this, pulled at her heart strings as she felt the grief pouring from him in dark and icy waves.
The Dark wizard Lord had been killed, but the price paid, came to be much higher than anyone had thought it would be. Shannon just hoped that if the wizard did return, as Albus Dumbledore had warned them during his quick visit, the magical world would have recovered enough so as to have a better chance of defending themselves and end it once and for all.
Author's Note (2): Well, that's the first part.. Hope it's okay...